SCBWI BI CONFERENCE 2022 Illustrator Keynote Speaker Profile
Oi! You don't want to miss award-winning author/illustrator, Jim Field's, three workshops at this year's conference. Paul Morton, SCBWI's Conference Illustration Organiser reports.
This November our much-loved annual conference returns ‘in real life’ for the first time in 3 years and the first time ever out of Winchester. What better way to celebrate this than by having a star of the children’s book world as our keynote illustrator?
Jim Field, Illustrator
With over 30 books to date and in the top 10 selling children’s book illustrators - we welcome Jim Field to share some of his career experiences in three sessions over the two days of conference in Manchester. Jim is a multi-talented, multi award-winning illustrator able to draw upon his previous animation skills and character design expertise in his diverse range of picture books.
Jim has collaborated with many of the top writers in the children's book world. With much loved mega selling titles such as the Oi Frog, Oi Dog, Oi Cat in the series written by Kes Grey.
Collaboration with Rachel Bright has produced titles including The Squirrels that Squabbled, The Way Home for Wolf, The Whale Who Wanted More, The Lion Inside, and most recently, coincidentally out in time for the conference, The Gecko and the Echo.
The Rabbit and Bear early reader series written by Julian Gough has 4 titles to date. This charmingly fun set of escapades, with its wonderful line and single colour tone, are some of my all-time favourites.
Jim has also illustrated the work of Peter Bentley (his first picture book in 2011 winning the Roald Dahl funny prize award), Michael Morpurgo and Michelle Robinson, Jeanne Willis, Steve Cole and comedian David Baddiel. The Christmas Pig written by J.K.Rowling, was the no.1 selling children’s book of 2021.
Jim’s debut author-illustrator picture book ‘Monsieur Roscoe - On Holiday’ is a bilingual book that introduces first French words to young children and is now available in 12 countries. The 2nd title in this series is out soon.
Jim grew up in Farnborough, studied animation in Hull, set up an animation company with Benji Davies called Frater, working out of London. He now lives in the French countryside with his family.
If you’d like to hear more about Jim’s work, from the man himself, then make sure you catch all 3 of his sessions:
They begin on Saturday morning at 10.35am
Then after lunch his keynote speech 1.15pm
Finishing with a more ‘hands-on’ workshop event Sunday morning 10.30am
See programme for details.
Make sure to book your conference ticket early to secure these sessions!
See you there!
Header image: Tita Berredo
Feature images: Jim Field
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Paul Morton is a professional illustrator for over 30 years and illustration organiser for SCBWI,
Paul has illustrated various educational and novelty picture books, but his driving passion was always to illustrate his own texts. He now has two fully illustrated early readers published by Five Quills featuring The Greedy Frog, Bug Belly, and is currently working on 2 more Bug Belly stories, a PB and an illustrated YF book. Find him on Twitter @paulhotfrog.
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Stephanie Cotela is the new Network News & Events Editor for Words & Pictures magazine.
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